Jarred Scott grew up playing baseball since age 4, and his passion for the sport led to him not only playing for Meridian when he was in high school, but also joining a team based out of Jackson.

That team was part of Major League Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program, and playing on the team gave Scott a chance to travel to cities like Dallas and Houston to compete. They even won a regional tournament his junior year of high school and made it to the World Series that year in Minnesota. After he graduated from Meridian in 2014, Scott was awarded a $20,000 scholarship through the RBI program.

Now, Scott is hoping to start a Meridian RBI program, and he already has 12 players on his team ranging from ages 15-18. He hopes to be able to take the team to a regional tournament in Atlanta this summer, but his squad will need to have 15 players between the ages of 16-18 in order to qualify. The team’s first practice is June 15.

“We’re a little slow starting,” Scott said. “Participation is low, but we have players interested, and we would definitely like more players, because the more who participate, the more who benefit.”

A lot of the RBI program is funded by MLB, but Scott said he would have to do some fundraising to help support the local program he’s forming. If not enough players join for his team to qualify for the Atlanta regional, Scott said he’s hoping to get his players into some in-state tournaments, which would allow them exposure to colleges and professional scouts. Between that and the possibility of earning scholarship money, Scott said he feels like the RBI program would be an asset to Meridian.

“Our city isn’t in the best state it has been in or could be in, and that starts with the youth,” Scott explained. “If you can get the younger guys involved in baseball and introduce them to team sports and encourage them to go to college — even if they don’t play at the next level — that’s great. There are only five people chosen from different regions (for the scholarship), but if the player applies and wins, that’s $20,000 toward a college education. I’m currently working on my master’s degree, so education is very important to me, and I want to pass that along to a lot of youth in our community.”

In addition to giving local youth a positive team-building experience, Scott said he’s also hoping to help develop players who are currently playing or will play for Meridian High School.

“When I came back home, I noticed the Meridian baseball program wasn’t where it had been before, and it could definitely be improved,” Scott said. “The coaches that are in place now and the program they have in place are definitely helping, and I feel like this is another program that Meridian and the surrounding areas will benefit from. I want to give back to the community and help others. I had guys come back and help me, so I’m trying to pay it forward.”

It also gives Scott an opportunity to stay around the game he loves.

“Baseball teaches you to push through your failures,” Scott said. “It’s a game of failures, and there are always ups and downs, so you have to keep working hard, and whatever happens, you have to look for the next opportunity.”

Anyone interested in the Meridian RBI program can contact Scott at 601-616-8404 or at scott_jarred@yahoo.com.